The 66th Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition Features 76 Works by 62 Artists

The Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition (ROC-FLX), a long-running showcase for artists from western and central New York, returns to the Memorial Art Gallery for its 66th installment from June 16 through September 15, 2019. This year’s showcase, which will feature the work of 62 artists, has been juried by Marilyn Zapf, the assistant director and curator at the Center for Craft, a national arts nonprofit headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina.

Every two years, Rochester’s oldest and longest-running juried exhibition showcases the talents of emerging and established artists from a 27-county region. The artists are eligible for cash awards, among them the $1,500 Memorial Art Gallery Award, selected by the juror; the Alice Koret Award, presented by museum docents; and the Harris Popular Vote Award, selected by visitors during the first two weeks of the exhibition. This year, artists are eligible for nine cash prizes totaling more than $6,000. The first eight will be announced June 15 at the members’ opening party; the popular vote award will be announced June 25, 2019.

2019 Artists

This exhibition is sponsored by M&T Bank, with additional support provided by the Elaine P. and Richard U. Wilson Foundation, the Rubens Family Foundation, and the Margaret Davis Friedlich and Alan and Sylvia Davis Memorial Fund.

About the Juror for the 66th ROC-FLX

Marilyn Zapf is the assistant director and curator at the Center for Craft, a national arts nonprofit headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina. She has curated a number of exhibitions including the nationally traveling Michael Sherrill Retrospective (Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC, 2018); Made in WNC (Center for Craft, Asheville, NC, 2015), and Gee’s Bend: From Quilts to Prints (Center for Craft, Asheville, NC, 2014). Ms. Zapf is a trustee of the American Crafts Council, a program advisor for the MA in Critical and Historical Craft Studies program at Warren Wilson College, and has published articles and reviews in international publications, including Art Jewelry Forum and Crafts Magazine (UK). She holds an MA in the History of Design from the Royal College of Art and Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England, and a BA (English Literature) and BFA (Jewelry and Metalworking) from the University of Georgia. Her areas of research include craft, postmodernism, and de/industrialization.

History of the exhibition

In March 1914, just five months after opening its doors, the Memorial Art Gallery hosted its first Rochester Art Club (RAC) exhibition. The yearly show was a fixture of the local art scene for three decades and grew steadily in size and scope. It took its current name in 1938, when it expanded to encompass not just RAC members but also artists living in 19 counties of western New York. More changes were in store. These days, the Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition generally takes place every two years and serves a 27-county area. In addition, most of the artists have added to the inventory at THE STORE @ MAG as an exciting opportunity to invest in art.

One thing hasn’t changed, however: because of the competitive nature of the show, only a small percentage of works submitted are chosen. As a result, the exhibition remains a prestigious showcase for artists in western and central New York. Past award winners, many of whom have gone on to establish national reputations, have included Wendell Castle, Albert Paley, Honoré Sharrer, Hans Christensen, Bill Stewart, and Kathy Calderwood.